Summer Bridge

My friend Erin at A Bird and a Bean has been a great help to me getting started on this blogging adventure. She graciously asked me to guest blog for her, and you can read the post at this link.

For a tease, here’s an excerpt.

…However, as an educator, I’m try to be about engaging students with their personal interests and passions. Let’s face it. A massive percentage of what students learn in school is exactly what they are told to learn in school. I love it when I can give my students the freedom to learn topics or skills that interest them. (Check out Genius Hour if this paragraph got your enthusiasm rolling.) I love to apply this concept to summer learning…

Please check out Erin’s blog and be sure to read the full post on her site. Thanks!

I know summer break just started and I have less than a full week of “Mr. Mom” under my belt, but sometimes I’m a quick learner. Here are some things I’ve already figured out.

Seven-year old Bug is a lot more independent and helpful than 6-year old Bug. This may seem like a no-brainer to you, but it was an utter light-shining-down-from-heaven-with-angels-singing-on-high revelation for me. I was pleasantly surprised the other day when this smacked me across the head. She was able to tell me where to find the play clothes. (#cluelessdad) She was able to run back into the house to get something she left on the table. She has been able to be my partner, not (always) someone to hold me back.

The Bug loves to learn. I knew this already. But the end of first grade was rough, and she was exhausted. When I bought a Summer Bridge book, I didn’t expect her to start till next week. We got home, and she nailed two days’ worth of pages. A day doesn’t go by that she hasn’t tackled that workbook.

3. It’s OK to let her pick her own play clothes. It’s a battle I don’t need to fight, and she feels like a grown up. In the picture above, not only is she working on her summer bridge, but her clothes are hideously matched. I should have gotten a picture of her standing up, cause the shorts just didn’t work… and I didn’t care! (I did make her change before we left the house though.)

4. She still has things to learn. It’s not all peaches and roses. I still need to teach her some things. Like, how to spin a produce bag before tying it off.

5. Sometimes you just have to raid your neighbor’s pool. I could have fought her to stay awake and tried to get her to do something silly like a craft, or I could have done what I did. “Get your bathing suit on!” I made the right choice!